Heart of a Hero
by Dragon Ninja 1138
Summary: This story takes place after Gold Beats Lance, Lance now thinks of what he is to do now, ends up marrying his childhood sweetheart and has a son at the cost of his wife's life, as a single dad he must raise him to the best of his ability... LanceXOC


Hello fellow pokemon fans, after a few failed attempts at pokemon fics I hope this one will do better than the other ones, PLZ R&R

The Heart of a Hero

Chapter 1

What Now?

It was just after the battle between Lance and Gold for the title of Johto League Champion, after an epic battle which ended in Gold declaring an ice Beam attack from his Lapras and Lance ordering a Hyper Beam from his Dragonite which hit at the halfway point on the field and resulted in an explosion that rocked the whole stadium Lance's Dragonite was the first to go down and the referee declared Dragonite unable to battle and handing the victory to Gold of New Bark Town. It had been an hour since his defeat and Lance's pokemon were resting in the pokemon center's recovery room, while that was happening Lance was standing on the rocky shores looking out to sea. "I thought I would find you here." Said a voice he recognized, Lance turned to see Dianna Harley, His childhood friend and major crush. She was around his height, with a slender body, medium-sized-breasts, a heart shaped face, with short blue hair. Her eyes were emerald green and sparkled like stars.

"You seem to know me well, Dianna." Replied Lance

"After hanging with you ever since preschool I've learned that whenever you loose a battle you go to the lake behind the Gym back home and just stared out to the water." Replied Dianna

"Heh," chuckled Lance

"What's so funny?" asked Dianna

"Oh, just thinking of what I was like before we met, how Nobody would come near me and my Dratini out of fearful respect of my family's lineage, I was the best at battle training and Nobody deemed themselves worthy of being my friend, the only ones at the time who would be my cousin Clair at the time, until trainer's academy beginner's class, your family had just moved into town, and you had joined my class, I remember it as if it were yesterday…

**~COMMENCE FLASHBACK~**

"Okay, class," said Mrs. Sergeant "this year I am proud to announce we will have a new student in our class, please welcome Dianna Harley to our class. She said as a small blue-haired girl entered with a smile on her face

"Hello, everyone, I am very happy to meet you all." She said bowing to the class

"Okay," said Mrs. Sergeant "You can go sit next to Lance over there." Said the teacher at this a boy with spiky red hair with a sleeping Dratini wrapped around his shoulder raised his hand to let her know where he was and jerked his head to the seat to his right.

This caused some of the students to start speaking out against him "Oh, Dianna you don't want to sit there, that seat is cursed, nobody sits there long due to the energy lance gives off leaving the one who sits there in pure terror!" said one kid who seemed like the class bully

"You know that is not very nice, how would you feel if Lance started saying stuff Just as rude about YOU or ALL of the students here!" snapped Dianna

This made Lance look up at her surprised, nobody had ever stuck his or her neck out for him before, maybe it was because she was new and didn't know anyone here, most likely she would wind up with Jessica and her girly girls by the next day. His mind on her would be changed that day at lunch break while most of that years girls went to one end of the playground talking about girl stuff like fashion, boy bands and other things and the boys took their pokemon to the open battle fields and duked it out. But as for Dianna she didn't know where to go until she saw Lance going off onto a path into a forested area of the grounds that was there for the students who were nature lovers. Curious Dianna followed him and from behind a tree she saw him take out a luxury ball and unleash a pokemon that she recognized as his Dratini, suddenly Lance's head perked up and looked towards the tree that Dianna was hiding behind. "Who's there?" he asked, she Knew she didn't have time to get away, he knew she was there so she came out so he could see her.

"I was wondering why you came out here while the others are busy battling." Said Dianna as she came to sit beside Lance

"I like solitude, helps me clear my mind." Said Lance

"But why, I'm sure your Dratini would wipe away any competition." Asked Dianna

"It does." Replied Lance, "That's why nobody would battle be, I'll just go and beat them all." He explained.

Dianna looked down at the Dratini who nodded in agreement. "Wow, it must be powerful." Said Dianna "Do you mind if I battle you?" she asked

Dratini and Lance looked at her with surprise, nobody had ever asked him for a battle so casually

"You serious?" he asked

"Of course, I have been looking for an opponent too, to test my new pokemon on." Explained Dianna "I don't care if I loose, for it's just a fun battle."

"Fun battle?" asked Lance, this was a new concept to him for he was always taught that battles were for honor and glory, but being of the dragon keeper's lineage, he couldn't say no to a battle and for the first time in years, he smiled. "You're on." He said and they headed for the battlefield, this drew a number of spectators to watch as they prepared for battle as Dratini was in its favorite spot curled around his right arm. A referee stepped foreword to the midpoint on the battlefield.

"This will be a one-on-one battle and will continue until either or both pokemon are unable to battle or one person surrenders." Said the ref and the two young trainers nodded in understanding.

"Then send out your pokemon, challenger picks first." Said the referee

"GO, Trapinch!" called out Dianna as an orange ant pokemon appeared to a lot of murmuring as to what pokemon it was. Upon hearing this Dianna decided to explain, "this pokemon here is called Trapinch and it's native to the Hoenn region." She explained with a smile

"No matter the region, the Dragon Keeper's clan will rise to any challenge, GO, Dratini!" called out Lance as his small Dragon unwound itself from his arm and sprung foreword onto the battlefield."

"Okay, Trapinch, Use Bite!" called out Dianna and the ant pokemon shot foreword, it's jaws open ready to chomp down on the small dragon.

"Dratini, Leap up into the air to dodge it and use thunder wave to paralyze it!" ordered Lance as the small dragon sprung up into the air to dodge the attack and started gathering electricity to its body and let it loose, directed at the ant pokemon, however the and acted as though it wasn't effected. "What?!" exclaimed the small dragon trainer in shock.

"Hate to break your plan, Lance but Trapinch is a Ground type, protecting him from electric moves, Trapinch, Bite now!" Said Dianna

"Dodge, Dratini!" called out Lance. At this, he started to smile, never before had his strategy failed, which was starting to bore him, in one way or another his strategy would always find its mark and win him the battle, but now he was facing an opponent who was immune to his strategy, and this started to boil his blood with excitement. Seeing the look on his face the other kids knew he was enjoying the battle. "You may have the advantage because you've broken my strategy with a ground type, but it seems your Trapinch knows only one move, which is Bite, while My pokemon knows four moves, one of which has been eliminated due to your pokemon's type.

"What, I thought your Dratini knew only three moves, wrap, thunder wave, and leer!" called out Eric, one of the more obnoxious kids.

"That's where your wrong, my aunt Annabel gave me the TM of the blackthorn Gym: so I'll use it now, Dratini, use dragonbreath!" called out Lance and a blue fire erupted from the tiny Dragon's mouth and engulfed the Trapinch knocking it's HP down several notches.

"Heh, we've dealt with worse." Said Dianna, "Trapinch, use Bite." But Trapinch didn't move. "What's going on!" asked the blue-haired girl.

"I guess I paralyzed him after all." Said Lance, for there is a chance of paralysis when a pokemon is hit with dragonbreath." Explained Lance "Dratini, Use Dragonbreath again and follow up with a wrap attack." Declared Lance

"Dratini!" called out the little dragon pokemon doing as his master and friend commanded

"Trapinch is weak, I may have only one last shot at this, so Trapinch, Use Bite!" called out Dianna

"Face him head on, Dratini, Dragonbreath!" called out Lance and before Trapinch came within a foot of the small Dragon the ant pokemon fainted.

"Trapinch is unable to battle, and the victory goes to Lance and Dratini." Said the referee

Everyone groaned at this, everyone in the audience had longed to see Lance loose but their wish was not granted. As Trapinch was led to the schools medical bay on a stretcher Lance came up to her smiling, it was the first smile students had ever seen on his face that wasn't a smirk. "Good battle there." Said Lance holding out his hand and Dianna shook it.

**~End Flashback~**

"Then nine years later we both left together on our pokemon journey, by then you Dratini was a powerful Dragonair and my Trapinch had become a Vibrava." Said Dianna as they looked back on memories.

"yes, but my leaving put quite a stir on the family, I was the first in my family to leave Johto, we both left for Hoenn as you told me of many Dragon pokemon Native to Hoenn and You guided me as any good Hoenn native would to the spot where I would find the Bagon that now Is the Salamence that is training in the Dragon's den." Said Lance.

"Why didn't you use Salamence in your battle? You surely would've won." Asked Dianna

"I gave Salamence time off because… He has a mate now, and has fathered a Bagon egg." Said Lance.

"Well, now that you are no longer the Champion, what are you going to do now?" asked Dianna

Lance sighed turned to her and took her hand. "I know my status as champion had caused problems for us to see each other, the issue with Team Rocket in Lake of Rage making it even harder, I cherish each and every time you've come to cheer me on in the battles I've done as champion, and for that I love you." He said, "I've loved you even before I've even taken notice of women, and you stood out among them all, for you saved me from my life of solitude and made me more social, and I want to know, Will you accompany me to the jewelry store?" he asked with a smile

Dianna blushed looking at him with joy "You really mean it?" she asked knowing what he meant "Of course I'll marry you!" she exclaimed

THREE MONTHS LATER…

"… do you, Lance Stormblade take Dianna Harley to be your lawful wedded wife?" asked Professor Oak, a long time friend of the Dragon Keepers clan and their first choice to do the ceremony.

Lance stood proudly with his best cape on standing next to his Bride who wore a light blue Kimono, her hair done up in a bun. "I do." Said Lance

"And do You Dianna Harley take Lance Stormblade as your lawful wedded husband?" asked Oak

And with more confidence than she ever had in her life she looked deep into Lance's Crimson eyes "I do." She proclaimed

"Then I pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." Said Oak.

NINE MONTHS LATER…

Lance rushed into the hospital panting heavily, at the sight of him a Doctor came foreword, "Ah, Mr. Stormblade, I wish I would meet you here with better news." Said the doctor.

"What's the situation?" asked Lance worried for his wife and yet to be born child.

"You'd better come with me." Said the doctor and led him to a ward in the hospital and moved the curtains back to look upon his wife but he didn't recognize her, she was completely burned in third degree burns. Lance fell to his knees tears in his eyes the only woman he had ever loved was dead, and he lost any chance he had of a family. Lance didn't know how long he knelt there as they prepared her for transport to the Stormblade compound for the funeral to be at a later date. But a few minutes later the doctor came up to him holding a bundle of blankets. "I know it's hard for you that your wife is gone, but now is a time for you to be strong."

"And get on with my life?" asked Lance barely holding himself together

"Not for yourself, but for your son." He said nodding towards the bundle in his arms.

"My son?!" asked Lance incredulously as the bundle in the doctor's arms was handed to him revealing a baby boy with his mother's eyes.

"What are you going to name him?" asked the doctor

Lance thought for a moment "I'll name him Ace Stormblade." Said Lance

ONE WEEK LATER…

The entire Dragon Keeper clan of the Stormblades turned out for the funeral of their Hero's wife as she was placed upon her funeral Pyre the children of the clan came foreword and placed sticks of Dragon smoke incense that was said to invoke Palkia and Dialga to lead the spirit to the land of the dead. Dianna's Flygon, the one that evolved from the Trapinch that Lance battled in their first match, stood among the dragon pokemon in their care. Lance stood upon the podium bravely holding back tears for the sake of his clan, and now he spoke. "Fellow clansmen, elders of the wise, friends of old, and our brethren dragons, we assemble here today to pay our final respects to our friend and my beloved wife Dianna Stormblade, she had only been among us for less than a year bearing my child when a Gyarados went on the rampage, Being the one to care for all pokemon that she was, she stayed behind to ensure all pokemon in the area were safe, she was severely injured by a Dragon Rage attack. Doctors tried to the best of their abilities to save her life, but in the end they were only able to save the child she was carrying, my son, who is in the arms of my Cousin Clair at the moment as we release the spirit of Dianna Stormblade to the land of the dead." He said picking up a torch and he lit the Pyre and the sound of a drum came from somewhere in the area as the fire burned away Dianna from flesh to blood, blood to bone, and bone to spirit. When there was nothing left to burn, there was a glint of gold that was found among the ashes and with that gold a pendant will be made for Lance for the memory of his wife. As the ashes were moved into an urn to be placed with the other members of the clan, Clair went up to Lance holding his infant son and handed him to Lance.

"I'm sure you will make a fantastic father." Said Clair smiling

---

Yes I know, rather sad beginning but it gets better, next time we will se more of Ace Stormblade for this is his story, this takes place after Ash is a pokemon master,

NEXT TIME...

Ace will get his pokemon partner before he goes off to the Blackthorn Trainer's academy until next time may you blessed be!


End file.
